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| Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon by H.J. Mulliner 1954 |
Chassis BC2LD is of the ultimate specification for an R-Type Continental. It was the second chassis to be built with the largest and most powerful 4.9-liter engine, here combined with the desirable, sporting center-mounted four-speed gear change; it is reportedly one of only seven left-hand-drive cars with both the 4.9 engine and “center shift.” In addition, it was optioned with lightweight bucket seats and rear wheel skirts, the famous “seats and spats” that are as hotly desired by R-Type Continental enthusiasts as “chairs and flares” are by Dino cognoscenti. The body is, of course, the iconic Mulliner Fastback Sports Saloon, specified dressed in Maroon with Putty interior—the same combination that the car still wears today.
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| Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon by H.J. Mulliner 1954 |
The R-Type Continental Register and original build documents note that the car was road-tested August 16, 1954, and subsequently completed on August 21st. Afterward, it was shipped from London to New York aboard the SS American Producer and was sold by Manhattan dealer J.S. Inskip on November 17th to its original owner, Mary Thurston Horn. A member of one of New York’s oldest families, Miss Horn was the daughter of prominent lawyer and bibliophile William Thurston Horne and spent her life as the benefactor of numerous worthy causes in New York City.
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| Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon by H.J. Mulliner 1954 |
Her residence at the time she purchased her Bentley, 1158 Fifth Avenue, is still an elite address today.
In 1957, the Continental passed to its second owner, Arthur M. Young, an aeronautical engineer who is noted in the Register as having tuned the car’s engine for increased power. It was maintained in his ownership for the remainder of his life. In 1995, it was sold by his estate to a broker in the United Kingdom, for whom it was subsequently restored before being passed back to the United States in the hands of Miles Marsh.
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| Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon by H.J. Mulliner 1954 |
Mr. Marsh brought the Continental to well-known specialists Vantage Motorworks of Miami, Florida, which upgraded its restoration to modern Pebble Beach standards, including a thorough overhaul of all mechanical aspects of the car and a thorough detailing, including date-stamped Lucas electrical components.
Thereafter, the car was acquired in January 2009 by its current owner, the fourth registered owner from new, who had lusted for a “D” series Continental since admiring a similar car at Pebble Beach several years earlier. The restoration work at Vantage Motorworks was completed under the new ownership, after which the car was debuted at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, followed by Best in Class here at Amelia Island in 2010.
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